


breakfast: the most important meal of the day

by potatwoo



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Fluff and Smut, M/M, One Night Stands, and maybe some angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-16
Updated: 2016-09-16
Packaged: 2018-08-15 07:08:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,869
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8047036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/potatwoo/pseuds/potatwoo
Summary: Without thinking about the possible implications of his action, Mingyu cooks breakfast for his one-night stand. So when his one-night stand comes out of the bedroom looking like he's about to leave, awkwardness ensues. And just when Mingyu decides everything will be okay because he's never going to see the guy again, he sees the guy again.





	breakfast: the most important meal of the day

As a junior in college whose life revolves around studying until sunrise peaks through the windows, working as a barista whose patience is constantly tested at an on-campus Starbucks, and doing a plethora of extracurriculars to build up a fantastic resume, Mingyu never rejects an invitation to go clubbing with friends when the opportunity presents itself.

The special occasion is Jeonghan’s birthday, and the end goal for the evening is to get the birthday boy as hammered as he can be. Also a barista at the on-campus Starbucks, Jeonghan has wholeheartedly accepted the challenge and believes that the chance to get wasted is his reward for “tolerating shitty customers and not shoving their faces down the blender with their iced caramel frappuccinos.”

For a while, Mingyu hangs out at the booth with the rest of his co-workers and friends, chatting about insignificant topics between taking shots of alcohol. But one by one, the guys at the booth gravitate towards the dance floor, and Mingyu takes that as his cue to do the same before he’s left alone with Jeonghan and Seungcheol, who have begun to practically eat each other’s faces off.

Just as he gets out of the booth, Mingyu feels someone tap on his shoulder. Turning around, Mingyu sees someone he’s never seen in his life, but he can’t say it’s an unpleasant encounter because the person is incredibly handsome, to say the least. Standing just a few inches shorter than Mingyu, the stranger flashes a smile and extends a hand out before asking, “Wanna dance?”

Mingyu smiles back, takes a hold of the stranger’s hand, and replies, “Lead the way.”

 

 

 

 

 

They slide through crowds of dancing bodies to get to the center of the dance floor. Once they find a relatively secluded spot, the stranger wastes no time in pressing his back against the front of Mingyu’s body. Mingyu wraps his arms around the other’s waist as they sway to the music blasting through the speakers. As they get more immersed in the music, innocent sways turn into subtle grinding.

The stranger rests the back of his head near the crook of Mingyu’s neck, their faces side-to-side, and he lifts a hand to run his fingers down Mingyu’s jawline and chin, gently pushing the latter’s face closer to his until they could feel their breaths on each other’s skin. At some point, the stranger grinds particularly hard against Mingyu’s crotch, sending a wave of sensations all over Mingyu’s body but especially on the area that felt the friction. This results in Mingyu letting out an involuntary moan, to which the stranger chuckles at before turning around to face Mingyu.

Mingyu rests his hands on the stranger’s hipbones as the latter wraps his arms around Mingyu’s neck, bringing them closer to each other until their breaths are lingering on each other’s lips. 

“What’s your name?” Mingyu finally asks.

“Wonwoo,” the stranger replies, returning the gaze that Mingyu has on him. “What’s yours?”

“Hi, Wonwoo, I’m Mingyu. Wanna make out?”

Wonwoo laughs at the bluntness of Mingyu’s words, which brings a smile on Mingyu’s face, and replies, “God, yes.”

As soon as Wonwoo finishes his sentence, the space between their lips disappear in exchange for an open-mouthed kiss that’s driven by both adrenaline and the desperation for more. In the midst of making out, Mingyu slides a hand lower and lower until he reaches Wonwoo’s ass, giving it a gentle squeeze that causes Wonwoo to groan.

Wonwoo then pulls away from the kiss. With an airy breath, he asks, “My place or yours?”

“How far do you live?”

“Twenty minutes away.”

“I live ten.”

Wonwoo kisses Mingyu once again. “Your place it is.”

 

 

 

 

 

They take a taxi back to Mingyu’s apartment, and the ride is rather silent save for the occasional small talk that the taxi driver initiates, oblivious to the sexual tension between his two passengers. Mingyu finds it a bit amusing how politely Wonwoo and he reply to any question that the driver asks, when all they really want to do is get to the apartment as soon as possible so they can finally hook up.

During the ride, Mingyu decides to send a text to his housemate, who should have gone to the club with him but backed out last minute to go to the library after realizing that he has an assignment due by midnight.

 **To: Seokmin**  
i’m getting laid tonight, don’t come home

 **From: Seokmin**  
gross, but say no more. i’ll be at soonyoung’s

 **To: Seokmin**  
you’re my best friend for a reason

 **From: Seokmin**  
<333

 

 

 

 

Everything that happens once they arrive at Mingyu’s apartment is a blur.

As soon as Mingyu shuts the front door, loud enough to send an echo through the living room, he carries Wonwoo up and presses the latter’s back against the door. Wonwoo doesn’t resist Mingyu’s rough-handling and instead tightly wraps his arms and legs around the older as they continue where they left off at the club.

Their kiss continues on as a beautifully frantic mess of moans and saliva before Mingyu’s mouth trails over to the curve of Wonwoo’s neck, where he leaves a purple mark once he’s finished biting and sucking on the same spot. Wonwoo spends a split second dazed from the sensations that Mingyu’s mouth left on his skin when Mingyu lets go of the back of his knees and carefully brings his feet back down on the floor.

Mingyu then leads them to the first bedroom to the right, and he has no time to apologize for the mess in his room because Wonwoo immediately pulls him for the nth kiss that evening. While kissing, Mingyu walks backwards with an iron grip on Wonwoo’s hips until the back of Mingyu’s legs hits the side of the full-sized mattress. They waste no time in getting on top of the bed, and Mingyu sits down with his back against the headrest while Wonwoo gets himself comfortable on the other’s lap before initiating another makeout session.

Clothes are quickly taken off one-by-one soon after the first article of clothing is tugged on, and Wonwoo’s hands wander lower and lower until they’re brushing against Mingyu’s hardening member. Mingyu gulps as he tries to calm his body down from all the nerves that Wonwoo is effortlessly sending throughout his veins.

Wonwoo nibbles on the bottom of Mingyu’s ear before leaning against it and whispering, “Can I ride you?”

Mingyu’s not sure if it’s the question itself or the deep and raspy sound of Wonwoo’s voice that made the hair on his arms stand and made him eagerly moan _yes_ , but he soon leans over to the bedside table to grab the small bottle of lube and a condom that is conveniently inside the top drawer. 

After covering his fingers in a generous amount of lube, Mingyu inserts them one-by-one into Wonwoo, who’s moved on to stand on all fours and give Mingyu a wonderful view of his ass. Wonwoo lets out a string of moans at the feeling of each new finger going in him, but it’s at the third finger that Wonwoo moans that he’s ready. Mingyu pulls out his fingers and watches Wonwoo turn around before sitting on his lap. Wonwoo helps Mingyu slide the condom on and cover it in lube before he moves on over to lower himself down on Mingyu’s shaft, an action that elicits pleasurable groans from the two.

They start off at a slow and steady pace. Wonwoo pushes down as Mingyu thrusts upwards before they do the opposite, and they keep this cycle going until their breaths start to hasten and their bodies start begging for more. Wonwoo is first to break off the rhythm when he begins bouncing and grinding faster than Mingyu’s thrusts, and soon he’s crying for Mingyu to fuck him harder. Mingyu gladly complies, and he turns their bodies over so that Wonwoo is now lying with his back on the bed.

Mingyu thrusts as fast as he could, and Wonwoo wantonly moans at each and every one of those thrusts until he begins to touch himself and the loud moans gradually turn into soft whimpers as he gets closer and closer to his climax.

“Mingyu…” Wonwoo softly cries, and Mingyu moves his face away from the curve of Wonwoo’s neck, where he has decided to leave another set of hickeys, to watch Wonwoo’s face contort in a mix of pain and pleasure. Mingyu’s convinced that he’s never seen anyone more beautiful than Wonwoo even with such an expression on his face. “Mingyu… I think I’m… Fuck… I’m going to…”

Mingyu chuckles softly at Wonwoo’s inability to formulate a proper sentence, and he lets Wonwoo know that he understands what he’s saying by cutting him off with a kiss on the lips before whispering, “Me, too…”

Wonwoo arches his back as he reaches his high and covers both their torsos with cum. Body more sensitive than ever, Wonwoo tries to conceal any more of the lewd noises that want to come out of him by bringing their lips together once again, but kissing proves to be hard when all he seems to want to do is cry out Mingyu’s name, which the latter is far from minding. A few seconds later, Mingyu has to stop thrusting inside Wonwoo for a second or two because his climax gets the best of his body. He moans Wonwoo’s name as he releases inside of him, and Wonwoo whimpers at the feeling of being filled up while Mingyu rides off the last of his high.

Mingyu pulls out before rolling over to the side, and the two of them spend the next minute or so laying on their backs, catching their breaths, and calming down from their high. 

When he finds the energy to do so, Mingyu removes the condom and throws it into the nearby trashcan. Then he gets tissues from the tissue box on his bedside table and hands one of them to Wonwoo so they can clean themselves up. After getting up from the bed to get a clean pair of his boxers, Mingyu offers one to Wonwoo, who accepts it and thanks him for.

Mingyu gets back on the bed, and the two lay on their sides, facing each other.

“Hey, since the night’s technically not over yet, we can still make out, right?” Wonwoo playfully asks with a small smirk.

Mingyu doesn’t give a verbal response. Instead, he chuckles before leaning over to Wonwoo and meeting him halfway for a makeout session that lasts until the two of them finally agree on calling it an evening (which takes a while to do) and letting their sleep deprived bodies fall into a well-deserved slumber.

 

 

 

 

 

The morning after is when things get a bit awkward.

Mingyu wakes up first and slips on some house clothes before heading to the bathroom. Afterwards, Mingyu makes his trek to the kitchen and starts preparing breakfast for Wonwoo and himself.

Halfway into flipping some banana pancakes, Mingyu has a realization.

Isn’t there an unspoken rule of asking the person you hooked up with if they want to eat breakfast at your place before you actually start cooking the breakfast? Better yet, is it even okay to make breakfast the morning after a one-night stand? Mingyu thinks back to one-night stands he’s had in the past, and he doesn’t recall any of them involving staying for breakfast or even making the offer to make breakfast.

All of a sudden, Mingyu feels like he’s pulled the wrong move, and his mind goes on autopilot as he thinks about all the scenarios that can unfold once Wonwoo wakes up and sees that he’s prepared breakfast for the two of them. But before he could decide which scenario is most favorable, Mingyu hears footsteps from his bedroom coming closer and closer until he sees Wonwoo standing by the island between the kitchen and living room.

He’s wearing his clothes from the night before and looking like he’s about to leave, but the expression he’s wearing on his face is something Mingyu hasn’t seen before. Wonwoo’s eyes are a bit wide from being stunned by the sight of food and perhaps Mingyu holding a fresh plate of pancakes.

“Oh… You made breakfast,” Wonwoo comments, and Mingyu isn’t sure if there’s any actual malice in his tone underneath the evident shock. What Mingyu is sure of, however, is how uncomfortable this situation is for the both of them.

“You don’t have to stay,” Mingyu clarifies in an attempt to let Wonwoo proceed to what Mingyu has assumed is leaving.

“Do you _want_ me to stay?” Wonwoo slowly and cautiously asks in return, and Mingyu just wants to hide under a rock forever because he doesn’t even know what he wants.

“Do _you_ want to stay?” Mingyu replies in an effort to dodge the question.

Wonwoo glances at the food laid out on the counter then back at Mingyu before shrugging and saying, “I mean... I can’t say no to free food.”

 

 

 

 

 

“You made breakfast after a one-night stand?”

“I was just trying to be nice!”

“Okay, but have you made breakfast for the other people you’ve screwed around with in the past?”

“No…”

“Then why did you make breakfast for this guy?”

“I don’t know!” Mingyu exasperatedly exclaims. “I thought maybe he’d be hungry when he wakes up!”

“You didn’t think that the other people you hooked up with would be hungry when they woke up?”

“Oh my god.”

Seokmin has clearly gotten a kick out of Mingyu’s unnecessary post-hookup dilemma primarily because the younger is worrying about something that clearly won’t matter in about a day or two. So he’s resorted to purposefully annoying Mingyu with questions about his life choices because that’s what a best friend does--make your life difficult. Seokmin proceeds to laugh when Mingyu puts his head down on the counter.

“It was awkward as fuck…” Mingyu whines for the nth time that afternoon. “He was about to leave, Seokmin…”

“But he got free food instead,” Seokmin says. “And honestly, I don’t see anything wrong with that.”

“Except that he probably thinks I wanted to continue seeing him or something.”

“ _Did_ you want to continue seeing him?” Seokmin asks just to hurt Mingyu’s uncertain brain for the millionth time that day. Mingyu lets out another incoherent whine, and that makes Seokmin laugh.

“C’mon, you’re just overthinking this….” Seokmin eventually says, giving Mingyu’s shoulder a light squeeze. “And what does it matter if he does think that? You guys are probably never going to see each other again.”

“You’re right…” Mingyu nods after much thought. All Mingyu has to do is live down this self-induced embarrassment for the next day or two, and he’ll be back to normal. “You’re right.”

 

 

 

 

 

Seokmin is not right.

 

 

 

 

 

A weekend later, Mingyu third-wheels Seokmin and Soonyoung downtown to a semi-fancy curbside cafe, where they blow a ridiculous amount of money just for coffee and paninis because making bad choices for the aesthetics of it all is a central part of being broke college students.

“I’m telling you, you could find this food at your nearest convenience store for a much cheaper price,” Mingyu says despite regretfully enjoying the mediocre-at-best food he’s ordered. Maybe it’s the placebo effect of the cafe’s nice interior. He’s a third into his panini while his two friends are still busy taking pictures of their untouched food at different angles.

“But they won’t be Instagram-worthy,” Soonyoung casually replies before telling Seokmin to smile with his food, which the younger happily does. Soonyoung then orders Mingyu to do the same, but the latter makes a purposefully dumb face because trying to look good with a cheek bulging out from the mouthful of food he has takes effort.

“By the way,” Soonyoung says when he finally puts his cellphone down on the table. Mingyu sees the other’s phone immediately light up due to a rampage of Instagram notifications. “My housemate is going to join us in a bit since he just got out of class.”

“Is he the one Mingyu hasn’t met yet?” Seokmin asks before he decides to be a decent human being and swallow the food in his mouth. “The one who moved in two months ago?”

Upon hearing the question, Mingyu curiously looks up at Soonyoung, who nods.

Soonyoung then smiles at Mingyu. “He’s a really cool guy, I promise.”

Mingyu acknowledges the response and doesn’t think too much about it for the next few minutes. But when he casually glances over to the cafe’s main entrance and sees Wonwoo walking in, he puts two and two together and his mind goes on overdrive.

Maybe Wonwoo’s arrival is a coincidence. Maybe Wonwoo also likes spending too much money on too little food and regretting it afterwards. Maybe--Nope, Wonwoo is definitely walking over to their table and making accidental eye contact with Mingyu and--

“Wonwoo!” Soonyoung exclaims, standing up from his seat in the booth to hug his housemate. “Hi!”

“Hey!” Wonwoo smiles and returns the hug before waving to the two other boys. Seokmin happily waves back, as does Mingyu, but the latter has a blush creeping up on his face that thankfully goes away before Seokmin and Soonyoung could notice.

Soonyoung tells Wonwoo to take a seat, and of course the only vacant spot is next to Mingyu, who suddenly forgets what it means to breath normally.

Gesturing a hand towards Mingyu, Soonyoung says, “Wonwoo, this is--”

“Mingyu,” Wonwoo completes the other’s introduction, which stuns both Soonyoung and Seokmin. Wonwoo then turns to look at Mingyu and flashes a friendly smile. “Hi, Mingyu.”

“Hey, Wonwoo,” Mingyu replies with a nervous chuckle. While he knows how to act around a potential one-night stand, Mingyu has never thought far enough to know how to act when he sees a one-night stand for the second time, without the intention to hook up again, in a setting other than a club. But apparently Wonwoo has thought far enough, if his calm and happy demeanor--contrary to Mingyu’s fluster--is any indication.

Soonyoung and Seokmin look back and forth between Wonwoo and Mingyu.

“So…” Soonyoung starts. “How do you two know each other?”

 

 

 

 

 

“You’re the one he made breakfast for?”

“You’re the one who cooked him breakfast?”

Mingyu decides that trying to defend himself is useless at this point, and so he takes in the laughter that comes out of Soonyoung’s and Seokmin’s mouth with a _ha-ha very funny_ expression on his face. He then looks over to the side and sees Wonwoo looking down at the food he just ordered, resisting his own urge to laugh aloud.

Mingyu appreciates Wonwoo’s effort to not laugh at the expense of Mingyu’s embarrassment, but Wonwoo is failing miserably, and so Mingyu nudges him with his elbow. When Wonwoo turns to look at him, Mingyu says, “Lemme hear it.”

So Wonwoo begins laughing, too, but Mingyu doesn’t really mind because Wonwoo’s laughter is pleasant to hear. In fact, Mingyu starts to laugh a bit himself because at the end of the day, he really is just stressing over something silly.

“I’m sorry,” Wonwoo says, throwing an arm over Mingyu’s shoulder and leaning his head on the taller boy. They’ve obviously had far more intimate contact than this, but Mingyu still feels his heart race at the innocent gesture. “Aside from how awkward our interaction was that morning, I thought it was sweet of you to make me breakfast.”

Mingyu turns his head slightly just to look down at Wonwoo, whose head is still on Mingyu’s shoulder and who’s looking up at him with a small, almost fond smile, which Mingyu easily returns despite how nervous he’s getting on the inside. Like a weird, I-think-I-might-actually-fall-for-you-if-we-hang-out-some-more kind of nervous. Their faces are close together, and Mingyu metaphorically pats himself on the back for not panicking externally.

“Wow, you guys are cute,” Soonyoung thinks out loud as he observes the two boys in front of him. “I can’t believe you two met in the past just to toot it then boot it.”

 

 

 

 

 

More weeks pass, and the short-lived breakfast jokes are long outdated. Mingyu no longer wakes up to Seokmin asking him if he’s going to make him breakfast because “if you could make a random stranger breakfast, you could make your best friend some,” to which a half-asleep Mingyu more often than not says, “fuck off, you’ve got hands to cook with.”

Mingyu has also started hanging out with Wonwoo a lot more, with or without Soonyoung and Seokmin, and he is constantly learning new things about the other. He learns that Wonwoo is a fourth year English and History double major whose dream is to teach at a high school level after taking a few years off to backpack around the world. He learns that Wonwoo’s favorite movie is the _Back to the Future_ trilogy, and his favorite song is “I Just Called To Say I Love You” by Stevie Wonder. He learns that Wonwoo’s favorite season is summer but he loves going to the beach on cold days, and he learns that Wonwoo likes cats more than dogs (which should be the dealbreaker for Mingyu, but he decides that Wonwoo’s the exception).

Mingyu also learns characteristics about Wonwoo that the latter doesn’t directly tell him or maybe doesn’t even know about. He notices that Wonwoo has a knack for telling puns out of nowhere and that most of his jokes are super cheesy but equally endearing. He notices the slight bump on the bridge of Wonwoo’s nose and the way his nose scrunches up when he laughs a little too hard. He notices Wonwoo’s broad shoulders, defined collarbones, and elongated neck, and he notices the ever-present sparkle in his sharp eyes. He notices that Wonwoo purses his lips when he’s in the midst of his thoughts and the way he unconsciously pulls on the ends of his sweater sleeves until only the tip of his fingers are seen, if anything at all.

Most importantly, Mingyu learns how big of a heart Wonwoo has and how he credits many of his dreams and favorite things in life to the people who have left a profound impact on him. His desire to become a high school teacher comes from how eye-opening his 11th grade Literature class was all thanks to a teacher who never looked down on her students, who were at an age where their feelings and opinions were constantly invalidated by adults. His favorite movie is the _Back to the Future_ trilogy because they take him back to the days when he didn’t have to worry about anything except what film to watch during his family’s movie nights, and his favorite song is “I Just Called To Say I Love You” because he and his mom used to always sing it at the top of their lungs on the way home from school.

 

 

 

 

 

Over the span of a few weeks, Mingyu has discovered a side of Wonwoo--a depth to him--that he wants to continue learning more and more of because he’s fallen in too deep in their friendship and is not entirely sure if he can get back up. 

But at the same time, Mingyu’s not entirely sure if he wants to get back up because maybe, just maybe, Wonwoo is falling in as well.

 

 

 

 

 

The next time Mingyu goes to a club with some friends is in honor of midterms season coming to an end. Sure, that means finals will soon be around the corner, but that also means that there’s some time to breathe before he has to hit the plethora of books and notes once again.

Unlike last time, Mingyu and his friends stay in their booth more than they leave for the dance floor because their primary goal for the evening is to pretty much drink away some of the stress that comes with studying too much information in too little time. Jeonghan is a bit more tame that evening because no one is out to get him hammered, and this means Seungcheol and he aren’t making out as if their life depended on it, much to the delight of everyone else in the group.

One of Mingyu’s friends named Jisoo, who’s basically a star student and every parent’s wet dream, is the designated driver for the evening, which also means that he’s too sober for the lap dances that Seokmin and Soonyoung start to drunkenly give him at the same time.

“Why did I agree to come with you guys if I wasn’t going to get drunk?” Jisoo asks to no one in particular, which elicits laughter.

“Because you love us and care for our safety,” Seokmin cheekily replies with a smile brighter than the sun before planting a big wet kiss on Jisoo’s cheek. “We love you, Jisoo!”

Jisoo’s expression is nothing short of disgust as he wipes the wet spot on his cheek, and Mingyu laughs at the sight.

“We could always split a cab instead if you decide you want to brainwash any memory of lapdancing,” Mingyu reminds Jisoo.

“Tempting offer, but I think I’ll be fine,” Jisoo replies, and Mingyu knows the other has regretted his reply once Soonyoung executes a new lap dance routine on him.

 

 

 

 

 

As Mingyu downs the last bits of his bottle of soju, he catches a somewhat familiar figure walking onto the dance floor, hand-in-hand with someone while laughing at something one or the other had said. All over the club there’s lights of varying colors flashing to the rhythm of the upbeat music blasting through the speakers, so Mingyu has to squint to really make out the details of the person’s face and put a name to the figure. 

And when Mingyu does that, his heart immediately drops because all he sees now is Wonwoo placing both his hands on the other person’s cheeks and leaning closer and closer to the person until Mingyu can no longer see the space between their lips. Wonwoo is making out with someone whose arms are wrapped around his waist, pressing the front of Wonwoo’s body flat against his, and Mingyu suddenly feels like he’s not supposed to be witnessing this.

Mingyu starts to acknowledge the early effects that drinking has on him and to feel like the world is spinning just the slightest bit. The air becomes too suffocating to breath in, and Mingyu starts to feel grossly hot. All he wants to do at this point is step outside and get some fresh air, which he does as soon as his racing mind begins to involuntarily flood his heart with the thoughts that maybe he’s been wrongly reading between the lines and that he’s actually the only one who’s been falling this whole time.

 

 

 

 

 

Mingyu ends up going home after spending some time outside and deciding that even just the thought of trying to get back into the spirit of laughing and chatting and drinking with friends is exhausting. While he’s inside the taxi, he texts his friends of his whereabouts, and while most of them are a little too drunk to leave him with anything other than the read receipt or some variation of “okay,” Jisoo replies with more concern.

 **From: Jisoo**  
you okay, mingyu? you seemed like you weren’t feeling good before you stepped out

 **To: Jisoo**  
i’m fine, just got a bit tired is all

 **From: Jisoo**  
alright, but lmk when you get home and if you need anything!

 **To: Jisoo**  
okay :)

 

 

 

 

 

When Mingyu gets home, the first thing he does is head straight to the bathroom for a cold shower so he can wash away all the sweat that has gotten to him inside that stuffy nightclub. He also wishes for showering to be able to wash away the spirit of dejection that has slowly but surely consumed him between leaving the club and now, but he knows that won’t be possible.

After drying his hair and slipping into on a worn-out shirt and plaid pajama pants, Mingyu turns off his lights and gets into bed. He tries to go to sleep as soon as possible because acknowledging feelings of sadness and doing something about it isn’t really his forte. But sleep doesn’t seem to be on Mingyu’s side for a while because he ends up tossing and turning in several occasions and thinking about how he has managed to royally misinterpret Wonwoo’s feelings for him during the weeks that they grew closer.

 _One-night stands who became friends, that’s all we are to each other,_ Mingyu tries to remind himself over and again in an effort to make that his overarching feeling. _Wonwoo doesn’t like you_ that _way, so stop trying to believe he does._

 

 

 

 

 

As Mingyu finally starts to get drowsy, his phone next to him rings, notifying him of a new text message. And he’s about to ignore it and close his eyes until he catches a glimpse of Wonwoo’s name on the screen before the screen goes black. Out of curiosity, Mingyu picks up his phone to read the message.

 **From: Wonwoo**  
hey, wanna hang for a bit? i just dropped a friend off at his place and he lives around your area

A part of Mingyu wants to say yes, but the mopey side of him is overwhelmingly high, so he ends up not giving a reply in exchange for going to sleep.

 

 

 

 

 

For the next week, Mingyu stays relatively quiet because he unfortunately turns out to be better at moping around than he had expected to be. But no one really brings up Mingyu’s change in behavior and how he doesn’t really pull as much smiles and laughter out of his ass anymore because some either don’t notice the change or don’t want to open a can of something Mingyu might not even want to talk about (which he doesn’t). The only exception to not bringing anything up is Seokmin at the privacy of their apartment, but Seokmin approaches Mingyu with less comforting words and a more assertive you’re-being-dramatic-go-tell-Wonwoo-how-you-feel kind of approach.

And speaking of Wonwoo, Wonwoo is unsurprisingly getting the shortest end of the stick in Mingyu’s dilemma. Wonwoo’s breezing through the days just trying to be a good friend, calling or texting Mingyu whenever he can, and attempting to make plans with him. But here Mingyu is, replying curtly and making up excuses to not hang out because he is too stubborn to accept that he’s harboring a one-sided crush and too submissive to his inflated ego to let his guard down. 

 

 

 

 

 

It takes a few more days before Wonwoo’s calls and texts become less and less until he’s no longer taking the initiative to reach out to Mingyu. And Mingyu’s not sure what hurts more--knowing that Wonwoo has pretty much given up on him or knowing that his behavior has given Wonwoo a valid reason to do so. But Mingyu’s sure that what hurts the most is knowing that Wonwoo is most likely hurt in some shape, way, or form because of him.

 

 

 

 

 

“I’m telling you, it’s the breakfast… you made breakfast for him because your subconscious was already attached to him by morning.”

“Shut up, Seokmin.”

 

 

 

 

 

When Mingyu is not busy slaving away at the on-campus Starbucks, he finds himself going to an off-campus Starbucks on his free days on many occasions. Two of his guilty pleasures in life are the hot chocolate and chocolate croissants that the coffeehouse chain sells, and he could easily add those to his list of unnecessarily expensive food and drinks if it isn’t for his employee discount.

After Mingyu shamelessly makes his order, he looks around the rather sizeable cafe for an unoccupied table and has to do a double-take when he catches Wonwoo sitting by one of the many large windows. There are novels, textbooks, and notes laid out on the small round table, and Wonwoo appears too absorbed in whatever he’s typing on his laptop to be aware of his surroundings.

While waiting for his order near the pick-up area, Mingyu can’t help but glance at Wonwoo every now and then because it’s been too long since he’s seen the other, he’d be lying if he says he doesn’t miss him, and the sunlight is hitting Wonwoo’s skin just enough to make him look like ethereal in the midst of the nameless people around him. Wonwoo’s even wearing his glasses today, which he pushes up with a finger when it starts to slide down the bridge of his nose, and Mingyu wonders how it’s possible for someone to look so beautiful so effortlessly.

“A venti hot chocolate and a chocolate croissant for Mingyu!”

Mingyu’s heart stops beating for a split second when he notices Wonwoo looking up from his laptop and subtly scanning the place to see if he could spot the face to match the name that the barista had called out. Fortunately, the pick-up station is on the opposite side from where Wonwoo’s sitting, which gives Mingyu enough time to pick up his order without Wonwoo catching sight of him. Unfortunately, Wonwoo sees Mingyu just as the latter is halfway to the exit, which is right at the middle of the store.

“Mingyu?”

Mingyu stops in his tracks and takes a deep hesitant breath before turning around to face Wonwoo’s direction and pretending to look surprised.

“Oh, Wonwoo!” Mingyu exclaims, and he decides to walk closer to Wonwoo’s table because there’s no turning back now. “Hi.”

Wonwoo flashes a smile, one that doesn’t quite meet his eyes, however, and Mingyu wonders if it’s just him or if there’s a rather sad hint to it. 

“Hey, how are you?” Wonwoo kindly asks before adding, “Do you have to be anywhere right now?”

“I’m good,” Mingyu instinctively says, because that’s all he’s been saying to his friends when they’d ask in recent days. He then shakes his head at the second question. “I’m free for the rest of the day.”

He could lie again, say that he has somewhere to go, and avoid any potential awkwardness, but he finds that it’s much harder to do so when he’s actually face-to-face with Wonwoo and can see his expression potentially fall because of him.

Wonwoo acknowledges the reply with a nod, and Mingyu decides to ask “Mind if I stick around for a bit?” because Wonwoo looks like he wants to ask him to stay but is too hesitant to ask the question himself. Mingyu’s not entirely sure where he had gotten the courage to ask, but he decides not to question his spontaneous burst of confidence.

“Not at all,” Wonwoo replies, and he briefly gestures to the only other chair of that table, which is across from him. “The seat’s all yours.”

 

 

 

 

 

Their conversation begins with small talk, which is pretty easy for the two of them to hold, and Mingyu downs half his food and drink during this time. But the unspoken tension in the air comes back to life as soon as they start running out of basic topics to speak about. They’ve already talked about school, already talked about work, already talked about what they’ve been doing all day. All that’s left is the topic that’s been in the back of their minds, waiting for its chance to be brought up.

And Wonwoo is the one who starts the conversation they’ve both been waiting to happen.

“You’ve been acting different around me lately,” he says matter-of-factly while closing his laptop. “We used to spend hours talking on the phone and send a series of text messages to each other, but now all I get from you are one sentence replies if not a one-worded response and shitty excuses to not hang out. And all I want to know is why, Mingyu?”

The tone in Wonwoo’s voice, which had raised the more he spoke, has shifted from collected to angry, but the look in Wonwoo’s eyes consistently stays nothing short of tired and hurt, which is a stark contrast from the sparkling glint that Mingyu had always seen in them in the past.

Mingyu has always been terrible at translating his feelings into words, so he takes a while to come up with a response.

“Please, Mingyu,” Wonwoo says. “I’m going insane trying to figure out what I did wrong. Would it hurt for you to just tell me that much?”

“You didn’t do anything wrong…”

“Oh, really?” Wonwoo sarcastically asks. “Because it’s kind of hard to think that I didn’t do anything wrong when one day we’re in such a good place with each other, and the next we’re so distant.”

“Trust me, Wonwoo, you didn’t do anything wrong,” Mingyu replies, and he wants to say more, but he’s too tongue-tied to do so.

“Then did you wake up one day and decide that you no longer want to be friends with me? That we should’ve just remained a one-night stand?” Wonwoo asks.

“Of course not!” Mingyu exclaims. “What are you even say--”

But Wonwoo is quick to cut him off. “It would’ve been way better if you made that realization earlier on so we wouldn’t have grown close, and I wouldn’t have been lead on to believe that we were actually becoming something more.”

“Lead on? _Lead on_?” Mingyu incredulously repeats because his own growing anger has begun to cloud his thoughts and rationality. His raised voice turns some heads to their table, and so he makes an effort to turn down his volume. “Don’t tell me anything about being lead on when you were at the club making out with some guy just a few weeks ago!”

“It was my friend Junhui, and we didn’t make out,” Wonwoo slowly replies, and all the anger in his tone has started to wear off. “Some guy was very insistent about trying to get with my friend despite how many times my friend turned him down, so we pretended to make out for a while, with a thumb between our lips, so that he’d back off, which he did.”

Wonwoo’s words feel like a ton of bricks hitting Mingyu with the realization that he’s been in the wrong this whole time, and all this trouble could have been avoided if he just swallowed his pride and spoke up about his uncertainties. While Mingyu processes and reprocesses everything Wonwoo had said, the latter packs up his belongings and stands up from his chair.

“You should really try getting your facts straight before invalidating my feelings for you,” Wonwoo says, voice cold, and Mingyu feels his heart drop when he notices how glassy Wonwoo’s eyes are and how his tears are on the brink of falling.

Before Mingyu can say anything, Wonwoo leaves.

 

 

 

 

 

Mingyu constantly finds himself wondering what terrible thing had he done in his past life for him to be destined to hurt someone who has a heart of gold in his present life. For the first couple of days after their incident at Starbucks, Mingyu tries contacting Wonwoo, but he is either sent straight to voicemail or does not get a text back. Mingyu eventually accepts that he deserves this because the way Wonwoo is treating him is pretty much how he’s treated the other for far longer.

And once Mingyu stops trying to reach Wonwoo, the two of them remain off each other’s grids, and they pretend as if the footprints they’ve left in each other’s lives are made of sand and could easily be washed away in no time.

 

 

 

 

 

But one day, just a little over a month later, when Seokmin finally convinces Mingyu to go out to eat with Soonyoung and him (“Just like the good old days,” he says), Mingyu soon realizes that Wonwoo and he have actually been set up by their housemates to see each other after such a long time.

That’s the conclusion Mingyu comes to when he opens the door and sees Soonyoung and Wonwoo by their doorstep, with Soonyoung’s arm hooked on Wonwoo’s as if he’s certain that Wonwoo will make a run for it if he let go.

“Hi, Mingyu!” Soonyoung enthusiastically says, completely unaffected by the awkward tension that immediately sparked up.

“Hi, Soonyoung,” Mingyu replies, and when he looks over at Wonwoo, the latter avoids eye contact. “Hey, Wonwoo...”

Wonwoo gives a timid nod, still not returning his gaze.

Seokmin, who’s coming from his bedroom and slipping on his jacket, heads over to the door where everyone is standing by and flashes a toothy smile that only Soonyoung equally as enthusiastically returns.

“So the actual plan is for Soonyoung and me to go out without either of you joining us,” Seokmin begins to explain, alternating his gaze between Mingyu and Wonwoo, “so you guys could have the alone time you two are too stubborn to admit you need in order to talk about your feelings and clear up any misunderstandings or whatever.”

“It’s obvious you guys miss each other,” Soonyoung says, “and I will fight either of you guys if you dare to say otherwise.”

“Well, bye,” Seokmin says as he steps out of the house and Soonyoung gently pushes Wonwoo inside the apartment, making him stand next to Mingyu. “We ordered you guys some pizza, too. It’s on us.”

 

 

 

 

 

When the front door closes, there’s a heavy silence that lasts for almost a minute. Mingyu and Wonwoo stay in the same spot that their housemates last saw them in, though their bodies are now turned to each other, and both have their arms crossed on their chest as they look at anything but each other’s faces.

Wonwoo puts his arms down.

“I’ll just ask my friend to pick me up--”

“I’m sorry, Wonwoo.”

Upon hearing those words, Wonwoo is stunned back into silence, and Mingyu feels his heart race when Wonwoo’s eyes meet his.

“I’m sorry for having treated you like shit because of my false assumptions and for going the immature route of giving you the cold shoulder instead of speaking up. I’m sorry that my reluctance to say anything caused you to spend so many days and nights trying to figure out what you did wrong when I was really the one at fault,” Mingyu continues, “and I’m especially sorry that I ever tried to invalidate your feelings as a result of my poor judgement.”

Wonwoo stays quiet, and Mingyu thinks about how the tables have turned. The last time they talked, Wonwoo always took the initiative to speak. But now, and strangely so, Mingyu is opening his heart up because that’s all Wonwoo has ever wanted, and Mingyu thinks that’s the least he could do for someone he cares about even though it’s not something he’s particularly good at.

“When I saw you with your friend that day, I just… I felt betrayed by myself for getting hopeful over the possibility that our friendship was turning into something more. I got stuck in a rut, which came at the expense of how I treated my friends, especially you,” Mingyu says. “And now that I’ve learnt that you actually did have feelings for me, I don’t think I could forgive myself for messing things up between us.”

“I do have feelings for you,” Wonwoo softly says, and Mingyu is confused for a split second before Wonwoo continues. “Not ‘did’--I do. I still do.”

He looks up at Mingyu. “The way you treated me after you saw Junhui and me was hurtful, but even after learning how much it hurt to be on the receiving end of a cold shoulder, I still went on to treat you how you treated me after our talk at Starbucks, and I’m sorry.”

“But I deserved it--”

“No, you didn’t, Mingyu,” Wonwoo says. “We both fucked up, and we owned up to it. And now…”

Mingyu sees Wonwoo hesitate for a bit before he continues. “Now we can move forward... if you still want to…”

There’s a rosy tint on Wonwoo’s cheeks when he says that, and it brings a smile on Mingyu’s face, which only causes Wonwoo to shyly return his own smile.

Taking a hold of and kissing the back of Wonwoo’s hand, Mingyu replies, “I still want to.”

In the midst of smiling at each other and finally releasing the last of their worries, the doorbell rings.

“It must be the pizza,” Mingyu says, and Wonwoo waves a finger to indicate that he’s wrong.

“Not just any pizza,” Wonwoo says, “free pizza.”

 

 

 

 

 

Seokmin calls Mingyu to let him know that he’s going to spend the night at Soonyoung’s place, so the rest of Mingyu and Wonwoo’s evening is spent on eating free pizza, binge-watching movies in the living room, and occasionally making out on the couch. At least until the ending credits of the fourth film they have watched start rolling, and Mingyu turns off the television so that they could take things to the bedroom and release their pent up desires.

Everything that goes on in the bedroom feels so playful and so lighthearted, from the moment Mingyu chases Wonwoo to the bed, where he tackles him down with a hug as they roll over while laughing so hard they’re wheezing for air, to the moment they take each other’s clothes off and their eagerness to do so causes too many things get stuck in too many places that it can’t not be funny. They let their hands wander over spots on each other’s bodies that they know are ticklish, just to tease each other and elicit harmless frustration, and they spend the time between kisses laughing together at everything and nothing.

Everything just feels so right, as if things are finally being put to place, and Mingyu and Wonwoo are finally basking in that special spark they have with each other, in their opportunity for something more that had almost slipped between their fingers.

When their bodies calm down from their euphoric climaxes and their heads return from the clouds, Mingyu and Wonwoo roll over to their sides to face each other, just as they did the last time they hooked up, and spend about a minute just silently admiring each other.

“Wonwoo…” Mingyu whispers softly, not wanting to ruin the peaceful mood but also unable to contain himself any longer. His mind is racing with nothing but words of love and appreciation that want to spill out of his mouth.

“Hm?”

“You make me happy… Genuinely, intensely happy. And I love what we have going on.”

Wonwoo’s cheeks warm up at the words, and Mingyu continues.

“I know that we’ve decided to move forward, but just to make it official... Will you be my boyfriend?”

“Of course,” Wonwoo replies, and this time he’s wearing a toothy grin on his face as Mingyu and he lean closer and closer to each other until their lips meet for a kiss. There’s no rush to the kiss, no desperation, just a sweetness to it that comes from knowing that there’ll be more kisses to come in the future.

 

 

 

 

 

And when Mingyu and Wonwoo wake up the next day, wrapped in each other’s arms, Mingyu doesn’t make breakfast because they’re just in time for lunch.

**Author's Note:**

> this may be my last fic for a while since i'm moving back to my uni in a few days, so i hope you enjoyed reading it! comments are very much appreciated ❤
> 
> as always, feel free to spazz/talk to me on twitter (@potatwoo)!


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